The Apartment

Not only is The Apartment one of Hollywood's funniest and most moving romantic comedies, it is also widely perceived as having one of the most beautifully written and structured screenplays of all time. Starring Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine and Fred MacMurray, this 1960 comedy is the story of a hapless company man who works his way up the ladder by making his apartment available to his boss for extramarital trysts.

Billy Wilder won three Oscars -- as co-screenwriter, producer and director -- for this mordant comedy. A beautifully judged piece of writing, The Apartment is saved from cynicism by Wilder's tenderness towards his central characters.